Mushrooms are sort of subtle and redolent of mold, which is understandable, they being fungus and all, but this sort of sets the tone of the meal if they are the feature attraction. Therefore, I feel that it works to choose your accompanying elements with subtlety in mind. Put out some goat cheese (like a crottin - nothing too ripened and fuzzy) and fresh bread. Something like an oldish Meursault would be a good wine with the appetizers, but if you don't happen to have any laying about, a "lesser" Burgundy such as a Rully or Saint Veran would be plenty cool. If push comes to shove, an Oregon Chardonnay would work. Put on some Mozart, for goodness sake!
Dice the shallots and chanterelles separately. Keep a few of the nicest-looking chanterelles whole to use as garnish. Add a tablespoon of butter and the shallots to a large pan and cook them until they are translucent. Add more butter and the chanterelles. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding butter to keep lubricated. After 10 minutes or so, the mushrooms will start to sweat. Allow them to cook in the resulting gooey mess for another couple of minutes, and then reduce the heat. Add a couple quick dashes of soy sauce and a couple pinches of sugar and allow to simmer. After five minutes, taste and add more soy and sugar, only two dashes/pinches at a time, to taste. If the pan becomes dry, add a small amount of butter and enough water to make things slimy again, and reduce the heat. Simmer for another five minutes, and taste again. The ultimate mushroom/soy/sugar blend will only hint at the saltness of the soy and sweetness of the sugar, but will somehow make the mushrooms taste even more mushroomly. You may need to add a few more dashes/pinches, but the objective to enhance the mushroom flavor, not create a contrasting sauce. When you are satisfied with the flavor and texture of the mixture, add cream to achieve the consistency of sauce you prefer and allow to simmer for two minutes. Of course, at the time this achieves the perfect texture, you will have also cooked a pound of the pasta of your choice and can then add the sauce to the pasta and mix it. It couldn't hurt to have some hard cheese to grate atop the mixture at the table. This, I think, would go well with a chicken in some sort of light sauce, or else simply cooked red meat like a grilled steak or pork roast. When the chanterelles are very fresh, I think it's best not to monkey with them too much by adding extra flavors. If they're just pretty-fresh, store-bought, you might add a dash of chicken broth or sherry to the mixture instead of just plain water. Very fresh chanterelles sweat a lot of water, though, so they may dictate the situation on their own. I dunno. Play it on the fly. Whatever meat you choose with this, the wine should be Pinot Noir. If you are in the Pacific Northwest, I strongly recommend those of Evesham Wood, Cameron or Willakenzie. If you can manage a red Burgundy, you will more than adequately rewarded by the food-wine combination. As always, Bon Appetit! |
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